aaron is online

Just a reminder that the entry deadline for our 2009 Death Pool is 12/31/08 a.k.a. TODAY.

If for some reason you’re reading this and you haven’t submitted your picks for who’s gonna kick it in ‘09, email your choices to Aaron (me) or to Ben (Ben) by 11:59 pm tonight.  We’ve got a ton of entries so far, and I wouldn’t want anyone to be left out!

See the official rules for more info, and remember, there will be an awesome prize for the winner, and it’s FREE to enter!!  You can’t lose!

Have a happy & safe New Year, everyone!

Speaking of podcasts…

Episode 13 is our year-end spectacular, and what a whimsical romp it is!  The glorious return of “Ask a Midwife,” the debut of “Listener Imported,” and another world-class drink recipe from William the bartender are only a few of the reasons Gene Shalit says of our podcast:

“[It's exactly what] I’ve [been looking for.] [You've] never heard of [a better podcast than] this.”

Along with our world-class banter, we’re also working on some technical improvements and making the leap from mp3 to mpeg4.  This week features chapter breakdowns & a few interactive links for the technically inclined. Accompanying images are also on the horizon if you’ve got some sort of photo capable iPod player thingy.

Stay tuned, listener!  And subscribe to “the ben parsons podcast” on iTunes.

If you’re reading this, then you probably know that I produce a weekly podcast with my friend Ben.  In it’s infancy, the show was called “the ben parsons podcast,” but after becoming more of a two man group, the show’s namesake suggested we call it something less “ben parsonsy.”

Here’s where you come in!

I’ve added a link to the right under “Podcast” called You Vote for Our Name.  Click on it, and be magically wisked away to benparsons.com, where you will find, among other things, the poll for our show’s new name.

We’ve narrowed it down to 4 choices, but we’re such fans of listener feedback, we wanted the ultimate decision to be made by you, the listener.  So, get to voting!

I just wanted to officially invite everyone who hasn’t heard about Ben’s & my Death Pool to partake in what is destined to showcase some of 2009’s most morbid finger-crossing!

You can hear about the Death Pool on our podcast, and/or read the official rules here.

Email your entries by Dec 31st (or sooner if you want a shout-out on the next ‘cast) to aaronisonline@gmail.com or ben@benparsons.com.  We’ll post everyone’s selections after 1/1/09 on both of our sites.

Also, as soon as we figure out what we’re calling the podcast, we’ll put a scoreboard up on the show’s site that we can all be checking throughout the year.  That’s also going to be where we’ll list all the DP’s fabulous prizes (as soon as we decide what the hell we’re giving the winners).

Sound fun?  Well, get to spec-ing!

If for some reason you’re still not involved in the p’cast revolution (maybe your mom grounded you from the internet, or you have a fear of completely awesome podcasts), but you want to be, you can subscribe to “the ben parsons podcast” on iTunes for all of your “how to kill just over an hour“-ly needs.

Thank you, everyone who is listening & giving us feedback.  You are all baracus.

What is the sound of one hand clapping?  I’m not sure, but here’s what it looks like when two fat guys make sausage.

There were more people there than just Isaac and me, and I did far less work than Nathan who is not pictured because he was probably manning his homemade smoker in the backyard.  The one he made out of two 50-gallon drums.  You know, the one next to the garage.  The garage with the home-fucking-brewery inside it!  Yeah, that one.

Last week, Meagan and I drove down to Puyallup to spend the day making sausages and drinking a bunch of VERY good beer, most of which was made by either Isaac or Nathan.  The boys are giving the homemade meat-treats as Christmas gifts to their families this year (who wouldn’t love some some pork on xmas morn’?), and they apparently have Duggar-sized families as we processed roughly 55 pounds of pig with 45 still left for another day!*

We had an awesome time.  Nathan even roasted some lamb and potatoes on his Weber out back for dinner!  Those guys really know how to throw down, and on top of everything, they and their wives are high-quality people!  Meagan & I look forward to more good times with these fine folk.

I also would like to mention: if you fancy yourself a mature person, go ahead and spend 5 minutes making sausage, and I guarantee you will be giggling like Beavis & Butthead before you know what hit you.  There are so many sexual euphemisms involved in every step of the process (”stuff your pork,” “handling your meat,” and “smoking the sausage” are only a few) that you’ll want to call your mother and apologize when your finished.

*SEXY UPDATE: I talked to Isaac yesterday who claims that he & Nathan cranked out another 70 (!) lbs of sausage 2 days ago.  I’ve never even heard of so much meat! These guys really love their sausage…

Ben & I have moved to a more normal recording/publishing schedule for our still not-quite-named podcast.  Hopefully, from now on (although Christmas is Thursday), we will be recording Friday nights, and will have the ‘cast ready for your consumption on Saturday.  As such, p’cast numero dozen is fresh out of the oven and ready for your face.

In this episode, we discuss the winter wonderland that is Seattle (that was sarcastic), listen to some Christmas-themed awful poetry w/ Zack, and have a few holiday drinks with the show’s bartender, and my bestest pal, William.

ALSO, Ben & I announce our Official 2009 Death Pool.  Submit your famous names before Jan 1st, and be entered to win some fabulous prizes.  (Seriously, there will be prizes, we just don’t know what yet…)  Take a look at THE OFFICIAL RULES, and get to steppin’.  We’d love to hear from you before we record our year-end show next week!

Thank you so much for listening; I really mean it.  It’s a crazy time of year, and it’s been tough to get (what we think is) an hour of quality entertainment up every week.  Ben & I are working hard to keep making this thing better, and your support & suggestions are invaluable.

Thanks again!

As I’ve mentioned on this site before, I have some pretty nerdy tendencies, one of which is that I really like “The Lord of the Rings.”  My friend Zack is also a fan of said books & movies, and yesterday we did what could be the coolest/lamest thing I’ve ever done:

Zack and I watched all 3 Extended Edition DVDs of the Lord of the Rings Trilogy.  All 3 movies.  All 6 discs.  All 682 minutes of film.

In.  A.  Row.

682 minutes, for those who are not so numerically inclined, is roughly 11.4 hours of viewing time, and we made it through the entire series in just about 5 minutes shy of 12 hours.

It was so awesome, you guys.  Seriously.  …Guys?

Sorry about the 2 podcast posts in a row here, but I’ve been busy doing some highly entertaining things (tree cutting, sausage stuffing, concert playing, etc.) which I will tell you about in the near future.  Until then, feel free to give a listen to this week’s episode of “the ben parsons podcast.”

This is episode #11, and I’m pretty psyched about it.  It marks the return of “Bad Poetry w/ Zack,” and he reaffirms my belief that he is the best bad poet I’ve ever heard.  Midwife Mel is absent from this week’s podcast as she was out midwife-ing, but Ben & I work hard to fill the time with high-quality banter, and we hope you smell what we’re stepping in.

Most importantly this week, Ben announces that we’re looking to change the name of the show from it’s current, Ben-centric “the ben parsons podcast” to something more representative of our duo dynamic.  Give us your suggestions right here or on benparsons.com.

Thanks a lot for listening; we really appreciate it!

Edition #10 of the ben parsons podcast is “live” and “on the air.”  This week, Ben felt a little under the weather, but we still managed to deliver a farm-fresh, organic podcast just for you.  This week’s highlight for me was friend-of-the-show Zack Goehner’s segments on bad poetry.  Zack not only manages to find some of the most horrendous poems I’ve ever heard, but he also has written what is easily the best worst poem this side of Kip’s wedding song.

Stay tuned!  Ben and I are working on some pretty significant changes/improvements to this thing, and we both feel like it’s going to get way better in the near future.  Episode 10 marks only our 3rd show together, and we appreciate your patience and enthusiasm as we shape this podcast into something awesome.

Give the show a listen at benparsons.com, and leave us a comment there or here or on iTunes.  Or don’t, whatever. Be that way.

“So Long, and Thanks for the Decemberists”

So how does one end a weekend like the one I’ve had?  How about a birthday concert by one of one’s favorite bands in the world?

I was lucky enough to have the Decemberists play on my birthday at the Moore Theater, which is not only a great venue, but will forever be etched in my mind because of at least one thing that happened there.  Meagan and William were there as well, and they would agree: The show was phenomenal.

I haven’t seen a band recently of whom I am that big a fan (most shows I see tend to be lesser-known groups/artists), and it was great to be able to sing along – silently, of course – to just about every tune.  We were also fortunate enough to be the last date of this national tour, and first & last shows are always a little special.  Being from Portland, Oregon, this was also a bit of a homecoming, too.

They were very funny, in good form, and did I mention funny?  At one point, vocalist Colin (on acoustic) and guitarist Chris (on electric) had a sort of dueling solo, but Colin being at a disadvantage both in medium and skill, resorted to, among other things, tying his opponents shoelaces together only to have him cast off his shackles to thunderous applause by the song’s end.

What a time!  We all had a blast, and it made being this much closer to 30 that much more bearable.

Next weekend, I’m driving to the mountains and cutting down a Christmas tree.